DOG COLLAR called VRECCALE and its HARNESS

Regions of Abruzzo, Italy or Spain

Around 1900

Diam.: 18 cm

Nail length: 5.5 cm

This vreccale, also called an "anti-wolf collar", is made up of a wide strip of thick leather on which seventeen iron spikes or nails are fixed.

These collars, specific to pastoral life, were worn by shepherd dogs to protect their throats from the bites of wolves that could attack flocks of sheep.

It comes with a harness or bridle.

Illustrative photograph: Maremma Shepherd, Gran Sasso National Park, Abruzzo, Italy, 2013 © Nature Picture Library / Alamy Stock Photo.

Text and photos © FCP CORIDON

Ref.: 5340